FFVII  The Final Strike
by Crests of Regalia
Summary: There are some enemies you can touch, some you can see and over come...but what of those that can't be touched?  How can one overcome those? It's simple, to defeat those enemies, one most look Beyond the Veil...
1. An So It Begins

**Chapter One**

_New Beginnings_

Deepground, the organisation that will forever be known as Shinra's dark secret. What was originally an infirmary was later transformed into a human test facility where injured, elite SOLDIERs and those deemed to have potential, were brought. What occurred in the bowels of the Shinra organisation, deep within Reactor 'Zero' is unknown but the experiments resulted in a new breed of warrior, the Tsviets. Unfortunately, these Tsviets were never granted permission to see the surface, to embrace the sun and to marvel at the miracle that was life – instead, they were manipulated and brainwashed to the point that they developed a hatred for all living things.

It was not necessarily their fault, they were not to understand what went on above their heads. They were not to understand how beautiful life truly was as their purpose was to destroy it, not to appreciate it. According to their leader, known only as 'Weiss', they were to bathe in a sea of crimson and they were to purge the world of all life. What these Tsviets' did not understand was that in order to do that, it would result in their deaths as well.

They were never told, it was not of benefit to Weiss or his creator who would later be named as Professor Hojo. They were his creations, he decided their fate and unlike his past failures they were designed to succeed in exacting his plans – what he did not account for was the WRO and the resistance of a vengeful specimen. He had not anticipated that the specimen, Vincent Valentine, would be quite so powerful and had assumed that he would retrieve the protomateria with ease. However, this was not the case and instead, he found that all of his beloved creations were torn asunder by the powerful harbinger of Chaos. Hojo's demise would later follow their's.

It was assumed, that following Hojo's ultimate destruction, a time of peace and tranquillity would occur. A time to rebuild, to regather strength and to unite into a powerful alliance under the WRO's leadership but it seemed that this planet did not have luck on its side.

As a new era began in the south, a slumbering entity far in the north was summoned by the hands of a foolish youth. Unlike what the scriptures had found, this entity did not grant wishes or riches to those that discovered it. What path lay beyond its summoning was quite a different one than any individual could anticipate unless they were taught to read the scripture clearly and most importantly, could see through the illusions painted by the articulate words to the truth that lay inside it.

As the pained scream rippled across the frozen wastelands of the north, the cloaked figure scarcely shifted its head sideways in receipt of the cry but even so it was all too aware of what had occurred. For the individual who had summoned the entity, the pain and suffering was over, the 'soul' all but devoured by the entity who had consequently used the physical body as a vessel, a way to manifest itself…but for the rest of those upon the planet, both living and dead, the suffering had only just begun.

Pressing a gloved palm to the flaking bark of the branch the individual remained perched upon, it considered its options carefully before at last, dropping towards the ground. The feet never touched the undisturbed snow though and instead the individual simply vanished into thin air, leaving only a light imprint of its shoes within the snow that rested upon the branches of the withered tree…


	2. The Appearance of the Gelka

**Chapter Two**

_The Appearance of the Gelka_

A time of tranquillity. So many had fallen and yet they had survived and those that remained now looked towards the future with a new hope and a new appreciation for the powers that lurked within the world. It was only recently, as the secrets of the Deepground were revealed, that the denizens of the world were informed of the horrendous acts exacted by Shinra. Thousands had died at their hands but the sheer number of those that were subjected to human experimentation beforehand horrified the individuals who watched the various news bulletins relating to it.

However, despite even these horrors, they looked forward to what lay ahead in the now promised calm and embraced the aid of the WRO in the rebuilding of their villages and cities. Engineers that had once worked for Shinra were more than happy to aid in the deactivation of each of the Mako reactors, while scientists who had studied the affects of Mako radiation poisoning were now capable of minimising its affects by dealing with the radiation directly.

As the reactors were disarmed, the quality of life began to improve considerably and measures could be taken to rebuild the symbolic cities and towns that had been upon the middle continent of the planet. Midgar was to be completely demolished and reconstructed to provide a more presentable face to the world. Edge, would be engulfed by the City but would be viewed as a symbolic sector forever – it had stood on the edge of the devastation and had provided hope for survivors in the years immediately following the Jenova War, for that reason, it would never be forgot.

Not only that, but Nibelheim was given plans for 'improvement' as well. Admittedly, it was not the most habitable of places due to the history it held. People were now aware that Nibelheim had been the beginning of it all, had been the first town to be massacred by the crazed SOLDIER 'S' and for that reason, out of respect, they preferred not to live in it but the WRO had other plans. Nibelheim contained many valuable files and for that reason, it was to be developed and used as an underground facility for the organisation – the town would be flattened with the exception of the mansion and trees planted as cover, that would be enough to satisfy the people.

The reputation of the WRO vastly improved. With Vincent Valentine's assistance against the Deepground and ultimately his defeat of the Omega Weapon, he had ensured that the WRO would be trusted and relied upon for many years to come. In fact, that support was so extensive that membership grew considerably and it grew even further upon the news that Yuffie Kisaragi, Cloud Strife, Barret Wallace and Tifa Lockhart were in full support of it.

With a growing reputation, funding from outside sources became common place. It was not requested but donations were given to further projects that the WRO had started; some were even completed for free. It seemed that with the destruction of Omega, the ultimate threat, a sense of goodwill had developed among the people and it only served to improve as the months progressed.

The quality of life improved, jobs became more readily available and soon many of the devastated towns and villages were well on their way to prepare. It was in 'Kalm', perhaps the most appropriately named of all the towns, that these improvements were celebrated. They had been interrupted before by the Deepground, but there were promises that all the Jenova War heroes would be present and with such a vast safety net, the people of Kalm had decided that perhaps it was time to try again.

And so, with the encouragement of the WRO the plans were made and the preparations began. Banners, floats, entertainers and the like flocked to the town for the festivities. The town was a wave of colours and as night drew in, the sound of laughter and the joyous spirit of the individuals gathered in the streets was intoxicating.

Needless to say, a certain pair of young women were in particularly fine spirits and despite the lack of participation from their somewhat solitary companions, they were enjoying every minute of the festivities. So far, the youngest of the pair, Yuffie Kisaragi had proven her prowess when it came to many of the long distance games. She had already gathered enough toys to satisfy and entertain toddlers en mass – while Tifa, seemed to be content with simply winning a single toy.

"Alright!" Another cheer and the ninja had won yet another prize, drunk on the spirit of the festivities, the young woman was completely in her element.

"Careful, or you won't be able to hold anymore." Tifa chastised teasingly, a small smile toying on her lips as she aided her companion in carrying one of her many plush toys. Tifa was aware of one fact though, although Yuffie might have won so many, the girl would not be keeping them, she would be giving them to the orphanage instead – that was why she encouraged her.

"Ha! Cloud can hold some if I win anymore." The ninja declared, her eyes twinkling as she turned her gaze up to admire the twinkling fairy lights above their head. As the celebration had coincided with Yule, the celebrations not only had an air of new hope to them, but they took on an almost otherworldly feel…it was just a shame there was no snow.

"If he'll hold them, that is." Tifa grinned, the thought of Cloud holding so many plush toys seemed adorable somehow and lately he had been in the mood to be helpful enough to do that. It was strange, following the destruction of Deepground, it seemed that not only he had relaxed considerably but so had Vincent as well. It was almost as if defeating the Tsviets had been the final release that they had all needed…

Time really did heal.

It seemed things were definitely going to improve from now on.

"_Beware the bite of the Amaris!" _The chilling voice sliced through the air, bringing the floats and the music to an abrupt halt. From above their heads, the Zollom-like descended, colourless eyes fixed upon those individuals directly before it. It was quite unlike anything that had been seen before, admittedly, everyone knew what a Zollom looked like but this one…

Towering far above their heads, it looked every bit of a Zollom but rather than brimming with life and vibrant colours it was no better than a dead and empty shell. Even those hard of sight could see the large gashes, the dull grey eyes and the partially rotting flesh; and most disturbingly, when it lifted its head the huge open wound was revealed that went right from its jaw and out through the other side of its head. To put things simply…

"Wasn't that the Zollom that was on that spike years ago?" Tifa frowned as she pushed her way through the crowds and approached the swaying Zollom. Despite its grotesque wounds it seemed to be alive. What had been dead was now capable of remaining standing and could even talk.

"I wasn't there." Yuffie replied, having found someone to hold her plush toys she had followed suit and now stood before the somewhat monstrous snake. Oddly, unlike the Zollom it hadn't attacked, naturally as a very violent creature and well known for its vicious temper, Tifa found this particularly suspicious but something told her that it just wasn't going to move.

"I believe it was dead, the last time we encountered it." Purring, the orange feline crept from his place in the crowd, the feather on his head brushing lightly against his thick and unkempt mane. "In fact, as I may recall, it had been impaled on a dead tree." He continued, narrowing his single eye as he sought out any signs that the Zollom was alive, controlled or simply an illusion but so far, unfortunately, it was completely solid.

"_Beware the bite of Amaris!" _Opening its great jaws, it revealed the untouched fangs and released a low hiss, the forked tongue flicking out briefly as it began to taste the air and to select its prey. The result of this action was predictable, by now all those who had experienced the horrors of the Jenova War face to face could have counted down from ten until the citizens of the town bolted but much to their surprise, the citizens didn't have time.

As the Zollom raised its head, the skin of its neck flaring outwards to reveal the dulled colours still existing in its destroyed pelt a whistle came from above. However, this was not the whistle of a human, rather, it was the whistle of a weapon. Slicing through the air as though it had been launched from the barrel of a gun, the arched double blade descended from the heavens and rather unceremoniously tore through the snake's neck, felling the head from the body.

"And nobody finds it even remotely odd that the body is still upright?" Backing away from the still snapping jaw, Yuffie stared at the paving where the blade had stuck fast. No blood tainted the black blade, nothing marred the delicate engravings upon the elongated, yet wide, hilt that bound the two blades together.

"Oh, I'm not saying I don't find it weird…I just – "

Another whistle summoned another attack from the heavens, but this time, instead of another ornate blade, a hail of miniature shurikens rained down upon the unfortunate creature. Yuffie couldn't even begin to picture what device could launch the weapons at such strength but whatever it was, gave the sharpened blades enough power to rip through the flesh of the body. A rain of dried skin, ash and dust descended upon the main street and as another whistle summoned a larger shuriken to fall from the sky, the jaws of the creature were shattered, leaving only the gleaming fangs of the creature intact.

Admittedly, it wasn't the best feeling in the world. To have dead snake settling on their clothes, in their hair and on their eyelashes but there was little that those within the main street could do. Rather, the most they go do was stare at the shurikens that remained pinned to the ground as the blade nearby gave a sickening crack and shattered. It left only a pile of dust where it had been pinned, but the shurikens still remained.

"The shurikens." Gruffly, the tall man joined their side, his red eyes planted firmly on the tiny weapons that remained stuck in the slabs. It wasn't for anyone to try and understand the workings of this man's mind, but he had made it obvious enough – there was something odd about the weapons.

"They're Wutain!" Yuffie's eyes widened and disregarding all thoughts for her own safety, the ninja ran forward to release one of the shurikens from the grasp of the pavement. Much to her surprise, the shuriken in her hand was unlike any that she had ever handled before, it was lighter and the edges thinner yet sharper – she could only assume that something so small had be designed for precision and damage. Thrown en mass, these tiny weapons would rip a creature a part, so why had her people never been given these before?

She recalled her own heavy shuriken, she cared for it, loved it and was proud of its monstrous size and strength but the quality in which it made was far below that of these tiny weapons. Turning it over in her hands, she could only admire their beauty, the blades even had tiny engraved designs on them and one single crest.

"Gelka." Yuffie released an incredulous whisper, rising to her feet and turning her gaze upwards towards the rooftops. It was all so clear now, the hail of shuriken and the blade had come from once source and only she could possibly comprehend its significance and what it represented.

"Come again?" Tifa enquired as she moved forward and opened her hand to take the Shuriken.

"The Gelka were here, or one of them at least." Yuffie shook her head as she placed the shuriken in the martial artist's hand, the crest facing up. "If they're here, then something has gone very wrong." She murmured quietly, flicking her gaze back towards the rooftops, her jaw dropping open.

Perched upon the spire of the church not that far from the main street, was a robed figure. The features were completely covered but the double blade was recognisable as it rested in the right hand of the individual. However, no sooner had she seen the individual than it had dropped from the spire and had disappeared from her line of sight. Well, there was no point in dwelling on what had just happened, the Gelka had appeared solely to protect the town and because of that, Yuffie couldn't allow the celebrations to stop!

"Show's over you guys!" She cried to the crowds, stooping down to pick up the remaining shuriken (that she would be sure to make use of), "That demonstration of aerial combat was brought to you courtesy of the great shinobi of Wutai, for one night only!" She flashed a smile as she spun round and motioned towards the float, making a point of nudging the fangs out of the way as she did so.

"There'll be a competition for a chance to win these fangs so stay tuned for more – now let the festivities continue!" She continued, lifting the fangs into her arms (with the shurikens) as she waved towards the floats. No sooner had she performed this action than the atmosphere seemed to lift and the music slowly began to mingle with the increasing chatter.

"Impressive performance." Cloud mused as he approached the group now forming behind Yuffie, azure eyes narrowed somewhat as Yuffie spun round with the weapons and fangs in her arms. "Now are you going to tell us exactly what 'Gelka' is?"


	3. The Tale of the Shinobi

**Chapter Three**

_The Shinobi, Gelka_

"So, are you going to explain what this 'Gelka' is?" Following the brief period in which the group had ensured that the citizens were comfortable, they had now gathered in the inn to find some privacy. It had taken all of Yuffie's powers of persuasion to assure them that if the Gelka were present in the town, then they wouldn't be leaving until they were absolutely certain that Kalm was completely secure…what she didn't tell her friends, was that she wasn't entirely sure if that was true or not.

It was Reeve who had spoken, following the attack the WRO Commander had been informed and had flown in immediately to converse with his companions in relation to the matter. It was important that the WRO understood the threats and was aware of how to deal with them, and in order to do that he would need to understand exactly what this Gelka was and what had happened.

"The Gelka is a house of the Shinobi in Wutai; it's a Dojo far up in the mountains that border the ring of fire." Yuffie replied quietly, somewhat subdued by what had occurred as she hadn't quite anticipated that the Gelka would actually appear, not after everything that had happened. "They're one of many Dojos within those mountains, protected by the great sea serpent Leviathan, or at least that's what the legends say."

"We were in those mountains Yuffie and we never saw them once." Tifa pointed out gently, furrowing her brow as Yuffie couldn't quite meet her eye. There was something wrong and the ninja seemed to be somewhat uncomfortable, almost as though she was hiding something. "That doesn't explain what happened back there…"

"I know." Yuffie sighed, shaking her head as she took one of the shurikens that were now on display and turned it in her palm. "If you really want to know the truth, those Dojos are never seen because they remain hidden. The Gelka is part of an elite band of Shinobi houses that were founded hundreds of years ago by our ancestors. According to the texts they swore a blood oath to protect the people of Wutai with their lives, considering their lives forfeit to better the lives of those within Wutain lands."

"It was their duty to place their life on the line, and, by using their own judgement they were expected to strike down and eliminate immediate threats across the globe before they could even touch our soils. These Shinobi were the best of our race, never seen and never heard, they gave up their identity and simply vanished from society." She shrugged and jumped off the table she had been sat on, leaning against the window as she gazed out towards the Spire that she had previously seen the Shinobi perched upon.

"They have no life outside of their duties; they live for honour and their pledge to our lands. Because of this, my dad says they don't even have names, they simply call themselves by their house names so all Shinobi of the Gelka house are simply referred to as 'Gelka' and respond to that."

"It sounds almost like SOLDIER." Cloud flinched somewhat as Reeve mentioned the name of the organisation he would have rather forgotten but he had to admit that the former member of Shinra had a point. The lack of identity and the strict duties did remind him of SOLDIER, they were expected to be the best of their kind and if they died then they weren't good enough, their lives were forfeit.

"Maybe, but the Gelka are nothing like Shinra and SOLDIER." Bitterness entered the ninja's voice as her eyes narrowed to mere slits; it was then that she caught a brief flash of the Shinobi upon the rooftops again as the Gelka sought out a place to observe its surroundings in greater detail.

"They broke their blood oath long ago, many of the Shinobi Dojos on the slopes did. Three of the Dojos were wiped out during the Shinra wars, they fought on the front lines against Sephiroth and tried their best to stop the attack but there were far more troops than Shinobi and those three houses were not as strong as the others… Sephiroth made certain to completely destroy them, none of them were left alive."

"We thought that maybe the other houses were unavailable, their resources stretched as they protected us from threats further afield but even in the Jenova Wars they didn't help." Gritting her teeth, the ninja glared at the Shinobi would had taken to perching on the spire once more, the cloak swaying softly against the light breeze that caressed it's surface.

"How could they possibly help in the Jenova War, Yuffie, even we didn't realise what it was until the murder of – "

"Because the Gelka had Shinobi stationed in the north!" The ninja snapped, turning her attention to Tifa as she stabbed the shuriken into the table where it held fast, the blades gleaming cruelly in the dull light, "They are not fools, they should have known of the threat, they would have been there even before us!"

"So what you are saying, is that the Gelka simply let Sephiroth walk passed them and into the crater?" Reeve, still calm, tried his best to work through the nineteen year old's fury. Through her ranting, it seemed as though the Gelka had indeed gone against their oath or what the Gelka had done, was completely misinterpreted by the people of Wutai…right now he couldn't be certain.

"Exactly, and what's worse…is when my dad rang the bells during the Deepground raid, nobody came and that was when we needed them most." Yuffie paled considerably as she thought of her people being pushed into metallic containers and then fed to Omega. The one time the Gelka, or any of the Shinobi were desperately needed and they hadn't come to aid their people, even when the bells that summoned them were used.

"Do you know how many people died that day?" Yuffie hissed, turning her attention to Reeve who didn't seem to be entirely sure of what to say.

"Thirteen thousand." An unfamiliar voice responded from thin air, it was an odd voice at that, not entirely male or female and completely distorted by an almost ethereal echo. Attempting to discern whether it belonged to a male of female would have been pointless, it just wasn't possible.

"I assure you, I am perfectly aware of the casualties and deaths that occurred." It continued, a small gust of cold air creeping through the room. It was only when the voice was silent that Tifa gave a small squeak, merely due to the fact that the closed window was now wide open and a black-clad figure now sat on the desk that Yuffie had previously perched on.

"Gelka!" Yuffie spun round and caught sight of the crest that was sewn into the thick colour of the cloak surrounding the Shinobi, identical to that of the crest on the set of shuriken, even the others could tell that they were linked.

"Greetings, Kisaragi." Giving a nod, the Shinobi could be seen offering a smile through its hood. In fact, the lips and lower part of the nose were about the only thing that was completely visible, the eyes were covered by a blindfold while another waive of material draped down across the right side of the face. If that wasn't enough, the cloak surrounding the Shinobi provided so much cover than it was impossible to tell if the being even had any other scars beneath the heavy hood that enveloped its head.

Needless to say, upon the Shinobi's appearance, the atmosphere in the room became considerably tenser and although the being hadn't moved an inch, the tensed muscles within Yuffie's arms indicated that she was in two minds. She would either attack the Shinobi and risk being severely harmed or she would stomach the presence of the individual who she viewed only as a 'traitor'.

"The Gelka only ever appear in public when something very bad has happened, when they've failed." Yuffie seemed to take pride in pointing out that this particular Shinobi had 'failed' in something, but another part of her was a little apprehensive to find out what exactly the Shinobi had failed in.

"Incorrect, Kisaragi." The Shinobi replied calmly, it's calm tone only serving to irritate the ninja further. It was as though the Shinobi has absolutely no respect for who she was or for what it had done, either that or it was entirely unaware of her anger. "I only ever appear in public when it is absolutely necessary and often, it is to act as a warning."

"A warning…" Reeve repeated, placing a hand on Yuffie's shoulder to silence her as he fixed his eyes on where the Shinobi's would have been. He had to admit that the blindfold was both alluring and yet highly dangerous at the same time, it gave the illusion that the Shinobi was vulnerable but he was willing to bet that the being could see everything in front of it.

"Correct." The reply was simply, enough to confirm that the individual appreciated his approach to the situation. Reeve had demonstrated restraint and for that, it seemed the Shinobi would reward him by bestowing the information he required upon him, as for the others within the room, it seemed to have completely disregarded them.

"I bring news from the north that may come as a considerable shock." The Shinobi began, sliding from its perch and towards the table where it retrieved the shurikens. This action was not one that was approved of by Nanaki who had been admiring their quality and had been attempting to discern what they were made from at the time – no doubt the Shinobi would not be telling him either.

"It would seem that an individual has been foolish enough to summon forth Amaris." The Shinobi began, lips pursing in what may have been a potentially grim expression from one whose features were almost impossible to see. "I am prepared to place my word of honour and my life on this. However - "

"Word of honour? I find that hard to believe when it comes from a coward." Yuffie snapped, causing the Shinobi to turn its hidden gaze towards her for a few moments as though it didn't quite comprehend her words.

"If this is the case, then the world is in grave danger."

"Again." Barret wasn't impressed, even his tone of voice was deflated and lacking in its usual enthusiasm. It seemed that every single time they met someone new or someone mysterious, there was always something trying to take over the world or trying to completely destroy it.

"I do not follow." The Shinobi stated plainly, causing every single individual in the room to stare at it incredulously.


	4. The Untouchable

**...:Chapter Four:...**  
_The Untouchable_

"You don't follow…" Tifa repeated as the shinobi fell silent. Given the sudden change in atmosphere within the room it was unsurprising that the silence that followed was reasonably uncomfortable. The very idea that an individual would be completely oblivious to the world and the previous events was hard to fathom – all those crises in which thousands had died…all those times when the world and it's continued life were threatened and the shinobi 'did not follow'.

It was ridiculous!

"Correct," turning its head towards the young woman, the shinobi paused only briefly to adjust the folds of its cloak. Had such a piece of clothing been left to its own devices it may very well have revealed the shinobi just enough to grasp who it was. Unfortunately, all too aware of the potential risks this caused, the shinobi was more than a little cautious in maintaining that element of mystery (much to the irritation of those around).

"So despite the thousands of lives lost, the meteor striking down the planet and a huge weapon threatening to launch itself into space – you still don't follow!" Everything had been painful, the heartache that had been caused cut deep into the woman. It was perhaps due to this fact that she began to understand why Yuffie was so angry. There was no way an individual could remain so completely oblivious to everything that had happened in such a short space of time – one crises after another and nearly all ended up in the north where this…creature, was stationed.

"We were aware of such events but I fail to see how they relate to the current situation," the response was eerily calm yet held sharpness to it. Apparently the individual hadn't been completely oblivious to the events but in terms of priority they really didn't come that high up the list. This thought was potentially sickening to those who had experienced such loss, the death and destruction deemed to be 'unimportant' but given the shinobi and it's up bringing they were unimportant… Evidently the oath to protect the people of Wutai with their lives had been grossly understood.

"We saved the world four goddamn times already!" Barret practically exploded, puffing out his cheeks somewhat at the 'stupidity' of the creature before him. Granted, the shinobi was most likely human but until a gender had been deciphered said human would remain nothing more than an 'it'. That being said, the fact that all their hard work was so easily dismissed by the peculiar being was beyond insulting…almost as if their lives were forfeit.

Was that how it felt to be a Gelka?

Barret was given little time to fume or to formulate another outburst as the 'blind' eyes shifted to him. He paled considerably and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The body language of the individual was dismissive, it stilled didn't appear to appreciate all their hard work in comparison to the lack of work it had done.

"I see," the Gelka replied after a few moments delay. The cogs within its mind whirred silently as it considered their words. Evidently this shinobi was completely out of sync with the world, its people 'detached' and unaware of what was deemed important in this day and age. It was difficult to fathom, but the trials of such a house were great and this was no doubt a test of the shinobi's resolve. Those who existed outside these houses and the secrets within them wouldn't understand – they were never meant to understand.

…Thus, their priorities would be different.

"Then I am to assume you will be perfectly capable of dealing with the rising threat," of course they weren't, they didn't even know what it was and this was most unlike their genetically modified soldiers. This was a full-fledged monster, a malevolent spirit that had descended from the heavens in a much more brutal fashion than Jenova. However, unlike Jenova this spirit was a direct result of the mistakes made by the Cetra many years ago. They had reacted swiftly, had sealed it and placed warnings around the immediate area but as they had died out so too had their language and with it so had the warning.

Had it not been for the stories passed down from generation to generation this warning would have never been preserved. Surviving in the most powerful dojos they had reacted immediately by ensuring that the area of the sealed spirit was patrolled and secured. The security had been so incredibly tight that it was with great shame that the Gelka now admitted that someone had somehow slipped through their patrols and had released the spirit into the world.

Amaris.

"I would think so," Cloud replied smoothly as he fixed his rather harsh gaze on the shinobi and folded his arms across his chest. Given that he had fought more battles than this shinobi could possibly begin to imagine (or so he believed), he was more than a little confident about his own skills. "However, why should we believe someone who is deemed a traitor?"

"If you do not, you risk more than your own lives. While you may be rash I do not deem you to be utterly stupid," the tone of voice was becoming steadily colder. The shinobi was completely unprepared to argue with those who simply didn't understand. They may deem the creature a traitor but it knew better – the oaths they spoke of were widely misinterpreted…The Gelka had protected the people of Wutai with their lives for many years, they just never took the time to realise it.

"Insulting us will get you no where, you know." At last, Yuffie spoke up and cast a critical eye on the shinobi. If she was entirely honest she was completely exhausted by everything that had happened in the last few years. She had never really had time to relax or enjoy life like a teenager should have…instead she was forced to fight for her life and to save the lives of her friends. She had matured far too quickly, much too fast to completely understand certain situations. Life experiences certainly prepared another for many things but not when they were always so one sided.

"Pot. Kettle. Black." A common saying amongst many nations, the shinobi hit a nerve on a number of levels and was greeted by plenty of frowns.

"Excuse me?"

"You insult me on a number of levels and yet deem it right to chastise me? I would say that is somewhat hypocritical," the shinobi replied calmly, folding its arms across its chest in a rather unique fashion. Well, it wasn't so much unique as extremely telling – by the way arms were held it was evident that this particular shinobi was female.

"I am not the traitor here."

"Nor am I."

"You let our people die."

"No, I did not."

"All those – "

"Were not the responsibility of the Gelka, our responsibility is to ensure that you remain protected from extreme outside sources…not from something that you alone are capable of handling!" The shinobi snapped, the lips pursing into a thin line as though she were glaring at the now adult Yuffie. Her words held a truth in the sense that there had been individuals strong enough to fight the threats mentioned and therefore the Gelka hadn't been needed.

"The problems and threats you fought against were generated by the faults of man, they were created by you and therefore you were able to overcome them. You do not need the Gelka to save your skin."

"But now?" Opting to interrupt the proceedings and to regain control over them before things got out of hand, Reeve chose now to speak up. Now he knew the shinobi was female he was more capable of making her seem 'human' again as opposed to some peculiar entity despite the ethereal quality of her voice – was that some sort of device?

"An enemy quite unlike the others presents itself, one of which was not created by man."

"Neither was Jenova."

"Perhaps, but Jenova could be touched," the shinobi afforded a dark smile as complexions paled. Everything that had been fought in the passed had been living, breathing (to a point) and had something material about them. The concept of an enemy that couldn't be touched posed a number of problems…for a start, how exactly were they meant to destroy it? They had always relied on brute strength before, unique skills…

"So, you speak of a cult, a ghost?" Reeve racked his mind for any thing that might have been metaphorical, something that would pose an extreme risk but couldn't be directly touched. He wasn't a firm believer in the super natural but he was clutching at straws, there were very few things in the world that could pose such a threat and a cult was the most logical to him.

"A spiritual entity, somewhat similar to the life stream." Pacing towards the opened window, the shinobi took measures to shut it and to drown out the sound of the on going celebrations below. There were some things that shouldn't be seen or heard, particularly given the previous events; one dead snake was enough for any one to deal with. "It is a direct by-product that results from tearing holes in planes of existence."

"Come again?"

"The Cetra, the Ancients or whatever you would prefer to call them used a particular method of travelling between planets. They relied on a unique energy flow that links each planet together yet it ensures that each planet remains separate from the other as well." Leaning against the table again, the woman folded her arms across her chest once more and pointed her head down towards the ground as though she was examining her feet.

"Unfortunately, when these energies are disturbed and used as a sling shot to another location it disrupts their flow and may also capture other creatures in the process. Not all creatures are 'material' in substance, it would seem that this entity is ethereal and may not even exist on a planet so much as in the space around it…"

"Now I don't follow," Yuffie mumbled in a disgruntled fashion causing the shinobi to release a small snort.

"I think, it is like a solar flare…" Nanaki was almost hesitant, an extremely unusual thing for the feline but he could see the parallels. "The flares are unpredictable and so they often hit things that are too close to their path – if these 'energies' you speak of are similar then they could have hit this 'entity'?"

"Well explained," the shinobi agreed and offered a nod to the feline before continuing with her explanation. "Many of the writings were lost following the destruction of the Cetra, therefore the Gelka can only assume that when the energies recoiled the threw this unfortunate entity after the Cetra – we expect that it did not appreciate being moved from its home."

"Which was where?"

"To put it simply we do not know but it is assumed that it reacted in a volatile manner and the Cetra were forced to employ defensive tactics. They chose to seal it deep underground and made certain to warn of its presence. Unfortunately this is where we fail…some one got through our patrols and released this malevolent spirit."

"Who would be so stupid?"

"Those who do not know or believe themselves to understand something when they evidently do not. Regardless, the individual who performed such an act is now dead as his soul has consequently been devoured." The Gelka pursed her lips and waited for the news to sink in. It wasn't taken particularly well by the expressions forming on each face.

"You can't devour a soul."

"On the contrary you can. A soul is nothing more than energy and this creature feeds on energy. Everything that is, is alive and possesses its own unique energy, some are stronger than the other but the more intense the energy about you is…the more desirable you are."

"So that soul is completely gone?"

"That I cannot say, I have yet to encounter this entity directly and therefore I have had no opportunity to see if the energy that surrounds it, belongs to it alone." Releasing a sigh, the Gelka finally presented her own failure to them. Granted, it was unlikely that they would grasp the depth of the failure until a later date (which was a shame) but there was nothing she could do. Fortunately for her, it wasn't her failure that had grasped their attention.

"You can see this energy?" A rather unfamiliar voice spoke up from the darkest corner of the room. From his perch, the latest 'hero', Vincent, chose to speak up. Having listened to the majority of the encounter with only a half ear it was this and this alone that caught his interest to the point that he shifted his scarlet eyes towards the 'blind' shinobi.

"Correct."

"And what do you see, exactly?"

"I see a man who possesses one soul but is torn apart by the residue of four more," that alone was enough to silence Vincent and he continued to stare at the shinobi as she turned her blinded gaze towards the window once again. The cloth around her head shifted loosely and it was at this point that the extremely pale complexion could be seen – it was almost as if she had never seen daylight and lived her life in the shadows.

Really, it should have hit a chord with him.

"The ability to see such things also grants the ability to manipulate them also, if only to a point."

"How is that possible?" Reeve enquired.

"Those of recent generations rely too much on the most common senses, they never take the time to look beyond the veil and marvel at the wonders that exist there."

"I don't get it," Barret mumbled gruffly and the shinobi released a small chuckle. She then said something that struck a chord with the entire group.

"…Can you hear the cry of the planet?"


End file.
